Which knitting and crochet luminaries (living or dead) would you invite to a dream dinner party?

I'm lucky enough to actually HAVE my dream dinner party every STITCHES! The only luminaries I haven't met would be Elizabeth Zimmermann & Meg Swansen. And perhaps Lynne Barr Ã¢Â€Â”Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â” love the new dimensions (literally) she's been exploring with knitting.

Tell us about your most unusual teaching experience.

What can be very unusual about teaching is discovering the many ways in which instructions can be interpreted. It leads one to new levels of appreciation for tech editors and can lead to some interesting new stitch patterns.

What's the latest knitting or crochet technique you learned that rocked your world?

Imitating the look of a woven frayed edge a la Karl Lagerfeld/Chanel fabrics. And working with corded welts, or tucks the techniques are clamoring to be worked into a design!

When you look at another designer's work, what makes you say "wow"?

Unusual garment shapes, and construction techniques.Â

Have you ever seen one of your designs on someone "in the wild"? What's that feeling like?

It's a thrill. I couldn't stop smiling and it was wonderful seeing what yarn she used. And seeing how many people on Ravelry have made things I designed whew! It's just sooo gratifying.

As a famous knitting (or crochet) teacher, you must travel a lot. Â Do you have any secret airport vices you'd like to share?

I love airports. There's a sense of possibility to them, of exotic places one could travel to, adventures to be hadÃ¢Â€Â”especially at Newark (that 2nd trip thru security when connecting internationally is SOMETHING ELSE).

I buy the fashion mags (Harper's Bazaar, InStyle, Marie Claire) to read on the plane. Not a lot of concentration required, fit in the back of the seat pocket for take off/landing, AND inspiration for future designs.

One last thing, what are you most looking forward to about STITCHES?

Meeting up with all my knitting peeps both those I already know, and those I'll meet for the first time!